Heaven Within Hell
by BrDPirateMan
Summary: When Shiki is caught in a snowstorm, she has no choice but to stay over at Neku's place. For Neku, this is his greatest dream... or biggest nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

**Heaven Within Hell (Part 1)  
**by BrDPirateMan

The snowfall was pretty heavy, covering Shibuya in a white duvet. The city was so beautiful, the stuff of dreams. The best part was, I was safe and warm inside my apartment, all by myself listening to some tender J-Pop melodies. It looked so harshly cold outside, but I wasn't the least perturbed. I was just glad I wasn't stuck outdoors.

Unlike a friend of mine at that time.

Such comfort put me in a fine mood. I was about to start dancing by myself to a particularly catchy song when the doorbell rang. Who could it be? Both my mother and father were working parents who often had to spend days at a time at someplace for business, and as a result I had my fair share of days when I had the apartment to myself. This was one of those days. Being a latchkey child was something I had long gotten used to.

Anyway, I doubted that the person at the front door was either of my parents, since they wouldn't be back for another two or three days. I took a gander through the peephole, and imagine my surprise to discover that it was my aforementioned friend.

"Hi, Neku," she muttered sheepishly when I opened the door.

"Shiki, were you out building snowmen?" I said jokingly, coaxing her inside. Her clothes were partially wet, presumably from being caught in the snow. She hurriedly unraveled her scarf, which was soaked through. She must have been itching to remove it.

"All I need is one snow cone and I get it plus a year's worth of interest," she smiled, seeing the lighter side of her mishap.

"Heh, that's the weather for you!"

"The snow came so suddenly," she said, "If you don't mind, could I stay here for a while, at least until the skies settle down?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me. Make yourself at home."

This was Shiki Misaki. How I got to know her is a bit of a long story. But the truth, believe it or not, is that both of us had died before. We had been cast in the UnderGround, a place for souls to gather and play the Reapers' Game, a competition to see who was worthy to come back to life. She was one of my partners in the Game. I wouldn't go into too many details for fear of boring you, but despite the setbacks that I had encountered, by the end of it all we were reincarnated, alive and back in our hometown.

Shiki is the greatest friend a guy like me could ever ask for. We're always there for each other and we get along extremely well. When we're not hanging out with our other friends, sometimes we go to have a coffee or ramen, and it rocks when it's just the two of us. We talk about everything under the sun, and chatting so freely with this dream girl is one of life's most luxurious privileges.

Oh… Did I spill the beans? I said "dream girl", didn't I? Well, I wouldn't take back my words or dispute them, for that's the truth. Shiki has been my romantic interest for a good while now and for a good reason. Her personality is so warm and kind and she cares about my welfare. Whenever I'm troubled and I need a listening ear, I know I can rely on her to ease my worries. She's done so much for me, made me who I am today, that it was only natural that I fell for her.

I had never been able to tell her the truth, though. It would remain under lock and key within my heart until the time was right. The problem was, whenever the time _was_ right, I didn't have the guts to say it out. I hated myself for my cowardice, but today, I promised myself, would be a different story… a milestone of achievement in the life of Neku Sakuraba!

With the door closed and locked behind us, I brought her to the living room. Central heating made fireplaces unnecessary, but it was comfortably warm all the same. Shiki looked like she needed more than just warmth, though. Perhaps a hot bath would be more like it.

Shiki in a hot bath… Oh man, it was hard not to think about her frolicking in the shower!

She was plain in face, a bit of a klutz and a lot of other girls could beat her in many areas hands-down, but I didn't care. To me, she was pretty. Beauty in the eye of the beholder, huh? Classic case of that. So it was easy for me to envision how she could be totally hot underneath those baggy, misshapen winter clothes she was wearing, but… did I really have to think about such thoughts at a time like this?

Nonetheless, I still kept my cool. "You're drenched, Shiki. You can use our bathroom," I offered, "I'll find some spare clothes for you."

"Ah, that'd be good. Thanks, Neku." She said it so matter-of-factly that it was difficult to wonder how she could be comfortable knowing she would be, albeit for several moments, naked at a guy's place.

In fact, she was probably more comfortable with it than I was. What was it about the steady hissing noise from a showerhead that contained such seductive implications? My hands were quaking uncontrollably, as though I was under some bizarre spell… _her_ spell. Wasn't this whole situation a bit… cliché? Wasn't it the stuff of romantic comedy movies and comics, not real life? Yes, this was stupid of me to even think this way. I had to grow up.

Just when I felt like I was in control of my emotions, the bathroom door opened ajar and Shiki's dripping hand stuck out, beckoning me over.

"Um, Neku? You forgot to give me a towel, genius. And clothes, for that matter."

In my haste I must have forgotten all about it. I actually had the towel in my hands but I had been busy literally walking around in circles and suppressing my dirty thoughts that I had not actually picked out which clothes she could wear yet.

"I-I got the towel b-but I'm still l-looking for clothes," I stammered, staring pointedly at her outstretched hand. How nice it would be to see around corners. Then that door which she was using as a shield would be useless and she would be none the wiser… Of course, as she was currently defenseless, I could simply force my way in and she would be all mine… Argh…! Not another crazy fantasy!

_Focus!_ With tremendous willpower, I handed the towel to her waiting hand and it whipped back inside. When the door shut, I let out a sigh of relief. One hurdle dealt with…

"Be sure to find something in my size!" she called.

"O-Okay… I'll try, but I can't make any promises."

Shiki and I were of approximately equal stature, though she was shorter, slimmer and mercifully less muscular (Shiki with bulging muscles would be horrific, not that I was muscle-bound myself, but you get the picture). My clothes would probably fit her best. There was a dress shirt in my cabinet that I kept for formal occasions like dinner with relatives. Maybe she could use that.

Wow… Shiki in a dress shirt and nothing else and showing a lot of leg… What an incredibly tantalizing image…

No, no, no. How many times did I have to remind myself to behave? I was able to give her some clothes, but she said that as the snow didn't soak into her underwear, she didn't need to borrow any. So thank goodness for this small favour as I didn't want to rummage through Mum's private stuff. That would be just… no.

Fast forward to a few minutes later, when Shiki was out of the bathroom and fully clothed in that dress shirt and one of my long pants, which were loose and barely managed to cling onto her hips… A part of me was secretly waiting for the moment when they'd fall off, assuming that this was bound to happen. Still, now that she wasn't bare-bodied at the very least, I was mostly glad, because I didn't know what sort of impulse would come over me if she remained in there for too long. We were sitting on the couch in the living room and she was in a sunny mood as she ruffled her hair dry with her towel.

"It's not a great day to go out today," she remarked, smiling, "but sometimes it's nice to just kick back and relax at home where it's nice and warm."

"Yeah," I agreed, "I was doing just that. Everything feels like you're suspended in time and you just want the bliss to go on forever."

"And it's so gorgeous out there," she gushed, gazing out the window at the many snowflakes tumbling down like bits of cotton candy. "It's like watching a moving painting."

We just sat there in silence, enjoying each other's company, the snowbound cityscape framed in the window sill and looking like a postcard from an alpine country. The mental turmoil that I was suffering earlier was quickly forgotten.

"Neku…" Shiki's voice had taken on a whispery and very mysterious air.

"Yes?"

She turned to face me and there was a dewy look in her eyes that hinted at… an urgent need? Slowly, like a panther moving in for the kill, she edged closer in my direction.

"Um, Shiki?" I was sweating bullets from seeing how physically close she had come to me.

"I'm not disturbing you, am I?" she asked softly, looping the towel round the nape of her neck.

"N-No, why?"

"Your parents are out again, aren't they?"

"Yes…" I drawled out the word, mind racing as I tried to guess what she was planning to do.

"Oh, good." She wedged herself into my frame and by now I had no way of slowing down the hormones that were now rushing through my system. I was powerless. "We have this whole place to ourselves, Neku… and it's warm… and so romantic…"

What could I say to that? That was certainly an observation that I agreed with, but all that came out of my mouth was a stupid-sounding "Um… huh?"

"Neku… close your eyes."

"What? !"

"Do it… I wanna give you a nice surprise…"

My gut feeling told me that this was a little too soon. Such a stage wouldn't come until after I had confessed my feelings to her and she reciprocated, _and_ after we had gone out for a considerable amount of time. This was starting to feel a little fishy… But on the other hand, if she actually was in love with me – and I hoped so – and she was using this chance to be aggressive and solidify me as her boyfriend… then I would be an idiot to push her away at a time like this.

Two hard choices were hanging in the scales of an imaginary balance. Which one would I go for?

Shiki said something that hardened my desired course of action.

"You're going to feel extra special after this…"

E-Extra special? ! What did she mean by that? Needless to say I wanted to find out… So the balance tipped, and I closed my eyes.

The warmth of her breath… I could feel it on my face and the sensation was making me dizzy. Any moment now and she would close in with a sweet but passionate lip lock. Ah… the much-coveted taste of forbidden fruit.

But all I got was a prod to the forehead, accompanied by her saying one word, "Beep!"

My eyes snapped open, and I found a giggling Shiki with her finger jabbed into my forehead. She was nowhere near kissing me at all.

She said another word, triumph thick from her voice. "Gotcha."

Aw man. She was just messing around with my head. My gut feeling was spot-on after all. As she collapsed on the couch, giant guffaws filling the room, I glared at her with a look of mock annoyance.

"So do you feel 'extra-special', Neku?" she laughed.

"Extra-dumb more like." Not to mention extra-disappointed…

"Well, you only have yourself to blame for getting your hopes up so high! You really are a dummy, ha ha ha!"

Seeing her in such mirth got me in the mood for some naughtiness myself. Not _that_ kind of naughtiness, of course, but the playful innocent kind. "Looks like someone needs to be taught a lesson," I said, looming over her like a thundercloud, eyes narrowed in anticipation of my mischievous deed.

"Wh-What are you going to do?" she asked, residual laughter lending a goofy look to her face. Her arms scrunched up close to her body, as a sort of defense mechanism. But nothing would save her from what was coming to her…

"Oh, nothing too traumatizing," I chuckled evilly, "I'm just going to… tickle you to death!" I pounced on her, hands attacking her weak spot: the sides of her ribs. As my fingers played the piano with her bones – tickling the ivories would be an alternative and apt expression – she was almost driven insane with laughter.

"Eek! Ha ha ha stop it ahahaha!"

"That's your extra-special treatment!" I smirked, filled with a sense of sweet revenge as I cherished the way she was writhing in snake-like throes. A few attempts were made by her to pry my hands away to try and cut her torture short, but with her body like she was holding an electric eel in her hands, her strength was extremely feeble. She couldn't save herself.

Tears were welling from her eyes. "Ha ha ha ha! God, Neku, th-this is – ha ha! – t-t-too m-much! Ha ha ha!"

I ramped up her agony by moving my hands further up to her armpits. Now she was practically falling apart and her voice was getting alarmingly loud, but this was fun and I couldn't stop myself. Seeing her in such a helpless, weakened but _laughing_ state was immensely satisfying, especially after the trick she pulled on me earlier.

"N-No seriously s-s-stop! Ha ha ha ha ha…! ! !"

Tickling her was like wrestling a crocodile. She was struggling quite ferociously, although it wasn't out of anger, of course. It was tiring work, and eventually I gave up and let her go, slumping into my seat with my muscles as frazzled as hers. We lay where we sank on the couch. Both of us were gasping for air, but we were also chuckling together. Because though our childish little play session was exhausting, it was certainly fun.

She sat up with some difficulty. "I'll get you for that next time," she said, her breath coming out in short pants.

"Aren't we supposed to be even now?" I asked, smirking.

"Oh, you wish!" She playfully gave me a weak slap on the arm.

"Then the vicious cycle would go on and on and on…"

"Well, it's partly your fault to begin with," she giggled, standing up from the couch – she looked like she was headed for the bathroom. For some obscure reason, my eyes happened to look at her feet as she walked away, and she had barely taken two steps when her right foot got caught behind her left. I heard a yelp from her as her forward momentum was causing her to quickly lose balance, and I instantly knew I had to catch her or else she would fall flat on her face.

Like greased lightning I jumped from the couch and lunged at her. Her arms were flailing comically as she tipped over, but there was nothing funny about the prospect of her bashing her nose into the floor. I grabbed her from behind and pulled her towards myself, and she was thus saved.

Cold sweat oozed out of my entire skin like an itchy rash. That was a close call. She was a naturally clumsy girl, but I hoped that would be the last time such a thing happened!

It took Shiki a few moments to shake herself out of her stupor. When she did, she twisted round in my grip to face me. "Th-Thanks, Neku. I thought I was done for."

"D-Don't mention it…"

In the snap of a finger I realized that my arms were still circling her waist. I was gazing at her face, and she was so close to me. Dangerously close… She was so pretty…

"You l-look pale, Sh-Shiki," I gulped, "Y-You're okay, right?"

"Um… yeah… But you're blushing, Neku…"

"Is it that obvious?" We were still locked together in this awkward embrace.

"Yeah…" Her speech was petering to a slow, barely audible murmur. "…really… obvious…"

We were getting so distracted gazing into each other's eyes that our thought processes were gradually weakening. Intense eye-contact with someone of the opposite sex whom you like a lot had this peculiar tendency to generate strong feelings of… attraction? Yes, that had to be what we were feeling. Even if it was just a friendship supposedly without any form of romance, it was only natural for the affection already present to develop into something far deeper.

Whether Shiki thought of me as a potential boyfriend I had no way of knowing, but the way she stayed silent and in a dream-like state was something of an indication that she probably liked me more than I thought. It was awfully good to know.

"So… it's really… clear on my face?" I said slowly.

"Uh-huh… Every detail…" By now it was evident that we had no clue of what was coming out of our mouths.

"You know… y-you're blushing too… a little bit…"

There was a slight "eep" from her as she became aware that her face was turning red. She freed herself from my arms in double-quick time and scooted off. "I… I need to use the bathroom!" The last word was already muffled as she vanished inside and slammed the door.

Was she angry? No, that couldn't be it. I just saved her life! Embarrassed just like I was, perhaps, but not angry… I hoped.

I didn't do anything to make her mad, so my conscience was clear. Did I accidentally grope her? My hands were on her waist, after all, but I doubted it…

In her rush to escape her predicament, she had left behind the towel she was using to dry her hair. I gulped to recall that it was the very towel she used to wipe her body after her bath. Her naked body… Damn, these urges were super-strong. The fluffy cloth sat in a damp, crumpled heap on the couch where she was sitting.

Hmmm… she would be in there for thirty seconds, at least… More than enough time for me to satisfy one of my greatest but sadly most perverted curiosities. I wanted to take a whiff of it. Just a short one to see how her body scent was like… Vanilla-flavoured, perhaps, with a hint of guava?

But no, I had to restrain myself. How could I even think of doing such things? I was no better than a lecherous old man. She would be back soon enough anyway, so even if I stooped low enough to do it, I would get caught and she would chop my head off.

I breathed a heavy sigh. How was it that my affection for Shiki was now evolving into a maniacal obsession with her? It was perfectly fine to fantasise about your crush feeding you grapes in not even a form of undress, but what I almost wanted to do was simply ridiculous… I was glad I stopped myself in time or I would probably never forgive myself. Probably.

I sauntered over to the window to look at the outside surroundings and clear my messed-up mind. What was previously a heavy torrent of snow had turned into a fully-fledged snowstorm. I could just about make out some shapes trapped underneath the accumulating snow, but otherwise there was nothing to see apart from a plateau of whiteness. The wind was pounding against the window relentlessly but strangely enough noiselessly. I was aware of the sky becoming darker and darker. Night was beginning to fall upon Shibuya.

"Oh my goodness… will you look at that!"

Shiki's voice startled me a little. She had apparently finished with whatever she was doing back there and had come to join me. Whatever embarrassment she had suffered earlier was now gone. It was as though nothing had happened.

"The snow is really heavy," she remarked, staring in awe at the city being swallowed alive by the beast that was Mother Nature. "I don't think I can get back home in this state."

"You can wait as long as you need, Shiki," I said, "It's dangerous to be outside at the moment."

"It's getting late…" She glanced from the window to the ancient clock in my living room and back to the window again. "My parents would be worried that I'm not home yet. Neku, I hate to impose upon you any further, but… as it looks like the snow wouldn't stop anytime soon…

"…can I stay over?"

"Whuh?" Shiki was asking to sleep over at _my_ home? Hey, wait a minute… This wasn't good at all; it was very dangerous. My parents were out and the only people in the apartment would be Shiki and I. I was a healthy young man dealing with an onslaught of puberty-related problems, so having her here would make things worse for me. I was frightened that I might do something to her… But I couldn't simply chase her out…

"Just for tonight, Neku!" she pleaded, hands clasped together in a praying position. "I promise I'll be good!" She grinned cheekily. The funny thing was, it was _I_ who was supposed to promise to be good, not so much the other way around. Oh wait, that wasn't funny. It was a very serious matter!

"Well… um…" I was still hesitating. Shiki was the person whom I cared about the most in the entire world. The last thing I wanted was to ruin our friendship with a single costly mistake on my part.

"Please? I can't go out in this weather."

"That's true… Of course you can stay, Shiki," I said, swallowing a lump that had gotten stuck in my throat. "Just… don't expect it to be five-star material."

"Thanks!" she beamed gratefully. Her smile was one of the cutest things about her.

She immediately fished out her cell phone, typed a text message with blisteringly fast fingers, and punched the "send" button. Moments later it chimed the presence of a reply.

"That's Mum," she muttered, scanning through the message she had just received. "She said it's okay that I could stay over at a friend's house."

Suddenly I was gripped by panic. "You didn't tell her it's me you're staying with, did you? !"

"Relax." She patted my arm. "I didn't mention any names. She's used to me having the occasional sleepover at Eri's place, so this is no big matter. What's more, I'm sure she'd understand, seeing how bad the snow is."

That hardly put my heart at ease, but as long as her parents didn't know that their daughter was spending the night at a _boy's_ house, then I should be able to get through this painfully aphrodisiacal ordeal and live to tell the tale. I mean, I can't date Shiki if her parents kill me…

"Oh yeah, Shiki, I forgot to get you your drink." I zipped into the kitchen and opened the fridge, absent-mindedly grabbing a couple of cans of green tea. I returned to the living room to find Shiki relaxing on the couch. "Dad just bought this really good green tea, and it tastes great chilled! Here, have one."

"Green tea? Man, I love green tea!" She took the can from my outstretched hand and proceeded to pop it open as I took my seat next to her. I did the same but she had already taken a sip from her can.

"Nothing quite like it, eh?" I grinned, relishing the refreshing taste as the tea flowed over my taste buds. "I know it's cold outside and we should be having nice warm cocoa instead, but… I simply had to let you try this!"

"Hmmm… you know, Neku… Maybe it's just me, but…" She paused to look at her can of tea with a slightly quizzical look.

"Something wrong with the tea?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Nothing wrong at all!" She took a generous swig from her can. The way she put it, it seemed like the tea might have tasted a little off, but that was impossible. Dad had bought them only a couple of weeks ago and they were still fresh, far from expired.

"If you're sure it's alright, then… where were we? Oh yeah, Dad got these while he was on a business trip. You can't find this particular type of green tea anywhere in Shibuya."

"Really? You sure? 'Cause… the tea is a bit weird, you know…"

"Does it taste weird?" I looked at my can. Written in bold white lettering on a dark green background were the product name – some fancy play on Japanese words – and various other details. I was sure I picked the right can for her, since our cans looked alike and my tea was alright, so did it mean that I had picked out a defective can?

I sought to check and reached for her can, but to my surprise she jerked it out of my way, clutching onto it like a possessive child. "No!" she cried, "I said it's weird but that doesn't mean it's no good. It's awesome." She tipped the mouth of the can fully into her mouth and in several gulps it was completely empty.

"Ah… Good stuff." She breathed a sigh of satisfaction, having downed the entire can. "I've never tasted tea like this before… I mean, it makes my head feel like it's floating and everything… ha ha!"

"Um… Shiki?" What was she talking about?

Shiki was beginning to act a bit weird… Her speech was slurred, her cheeks were flushed, and she had a glazed look in her eyes that made her look like she was out of it. What was going on?

Something was wrong… Call it a hunch, but could it be the tea that was causing her to act this way? I swiftly grabbed the can out of her hand, and this time she didn't resist, instead leaning back into the couch with her head lolled backwards, grinning stupidly.

I took one glance at her can of tea and froze.

No wonder she was acting like a total idiot. What she had drunk… wasn't tea.

After all, would tea come packaged in a can with the brand name "Heineken"?

That's right. It wasn't tea. It was _beer!_ My hands were shaking upon realization of this fact. How could I have given her one of Dad's beers? I was supposed to give her tea! But when I stopped to think about this, everything fell into place and made sense.

My father loves beer a lot, though he's always careful not to get too drunk by limiting himself to only one can a day. Like a lot of people, he likes his beer cold, so he stores his cans of Heineken in the refrigerator. However, the green tea he brought back happened to be packaged in cans that had almost the exact same colouring as Heineken's famous green-and-white motif, and these he placed in the fridge _together with his beer_. So it was only natural that I mistook one of his beers for green tea. It didn't help matters that I wasn't really paying attention in the first place.

And the beer I had taken for tea I gave to Shiki.

She was laughing softly to herself. "Whew…! What a rush!"

Ugh… Looking at her now, I could safely say she was drunk. Only one can and she was already swaying like this. She wasn't the type to hold her alcohol very well, was she? I guess not.

I wasn't too sure, but I heard from somewhere that drinking cold water could help a drunken person regain partial soberness. That could help return things to normal somewhat. An inebriated Shiki… She seemed harmless now, but I had a bad feeling… Alcohol had a nasty reputation of transforming the nicest, most rational people into raving maniacs. Finally rid of her virtuous restraint, there was no telling what she would try to do to me. So before she reeled me into her world of temporary madness, I thought it best to recover as much of her sanity as possible. I got up from her seat to get a glass of ice-cold water.

But she had other ideas, or rather she thought she had other ideas, because I doubt that her brain was in full control of her body now. She lunged at me like a football player in an attempt to tackle me.

"Whuh? !" I saw her in time and turned quickly to brace myself. She hooked her arms round my waist and yanked me back, the two of us spinning in a bizarre pirouette before crashing back onto the couch. I ended up lying underneath her. All the while she did not let go of me.

"Where're you goin', Neku…?" she drawled, the words coming out in a jumbled mess.

"J-Just want to get s-some cold water…"

"But I'm booooored…" She buried her face into the crook of my neck, hugging me tightly. "I want you to stay here and keep me company."

Oh no. This wasn't good at all. Our bodies were obscenely close. It would be so easy to embrace her and touch her and do this and that and everything, but though the thought was tempting, I simply couldn't do it. No. I didn't want to abuse her trust.

Someone had taught me to "trust your partner". As her partner in the Reapers' Game and in daily life, making sure this trust stayed was the least I could do. I was determined not to let myself get carried away and do things that I would later regret.

Those were my personal rules that I wished to abide by. However, given the circumstances I was now in, simply sticking by my principles would take a whole lot of effort. Having the girl of my dreams press her body against me was… how could I put it in words? It was certainly an incredible feeling. She was so bold too, seeing how she was pushing herself closer and closer. I would be lying if I said this didn't feel good.

"It's snowing outside and I can't go hoooome," she said lazily, "so I wanna stave away the boredom while I'm here." Her finger traced circles on my chest.

Gwoooh! It was already hard to resist her when she was _sober_, but now that her protective mental barrier had come down and she was decidedly unhinged, I had fears that I wouldn't be able to escape this ordeal without one or both of us mentally scarred for life…

She was going to have to stay over for today too. How long would I have to deal with her? All I knew was, this was going to be a very _looooong_ night…


	2. Chapter 2

**Heaven Within Hell (Part 2)  
**by BrDPirateMan

The first thing one must do in a disadvantageous situation is to calm down. Without a clear mind, finding a solution would be very difficult. Not impossible, that's for certain, just very difficult.

Shiki, the girl who had won a place in my heart, was clinging onto me like glue. In her drunken state, she had somehow coaxed (forced) me back to the couch and that was how we ended up lying down together, with her on top of me, her arms constricting me like a python. So it was only natural that this thought occurred to me: was I really in a disadvantageous situation right now? Or was it like heaven within hell? The latter description might be more accurate.

Anyway, if this wasn't really disadvantageous at all… and there was no need to find a solution simply because there was no need for one in the first place… then… I could be free to savour the fruits of my desire. Ha ha ha… Shiki was in my hands at last, and since she was drunk, I could have my way with her and she would be none the wiser when she returned to normal. Disadvantageous, my foot… No, it was the complete opposite! This kind of thing could only happen once in a lifetime… I had to take full advantage of it! Ha ha ha…!

Ha ha ha AAAACK! ! !

Grr… damn you, evil side of me! Having to fight constant battles with you was getting tiresome really quickly! These thoughts were all manifestations of my deepest, darkest desires. It was perfectly normal to have such thoughts because having an active imagination was key to having a balanced life. This was pretty excessive, though…

How could I have made such a stupid error as mistaking beer for tea? The cans looked nearly identical and they were mixed together on the same rack in the fridge, but this was no excuse. I could blame Dad all I wanted, but in the end it was my fault that I had gotten myself into this mess.

Shiki nuzzled her face into my chest, squeezing me like there was no tomorrow. To be honest, this wasn't all that bad. It was almost like we were already lovers. I wouldn't go too far with her; resting my hand on the small of her back should be okay…

The moment my hand touched her, my heart stopped. Through the flimsy material of that dress shirt I could feel the contours of her body, flawless and smooth to the touch, like porcelain. I enjoyed the sensation of her skin on my fingertips as my hand glided slowly across her waist. The ridges of her spine were subtle and delicate. It was so good.

I heard a moan from her, somewhere between a purr and a growl. She lifted her head to gaze into my eyes smilingly. If it weren't for the fact that her head was fuzzy with alcohol, she would look so sweet with that smile of hers.

"Neku…" she whispered, ever so softly, her voice like the wind on a cool autumn day.

I gulped. "Yes?"

She reached up to trail her slender fingers on my cheek. "You are… so handsome…"

My heart suddenly lurched inside my ribcage. She thought I was… handsome?

"Um… oh, er… I don't know what to say to that… Th-Thanks, I guess?"

"What about me?" she asked all of a sudden, without replying to my reaction. "Do you think I'm… pretty?"

It was obvious, to me at least. I was just scared that my answer to her question would sound insincere and contrived. And here's where I found myself in a dilemma. If I said, "Oh, of course you're pretty!" then she might think I just said it to please her. But if I went on and on about how her face radiates in my dreams and such, she would think of me as very strange and she might freak out.

Hold on though. She wasn't herself at the moment. She was drunk. It wouldn't matter which reply I used, because her thought processes were hampered. Even if I told her what I truly felt about her, she probably wouldn't remember a single thing. I could even confess to her and not suffer any consequences, but that was too big a risk.

Incidentally, how would she react if I told her I liked her? Would she pounce on me in joy and squeal, "Oh, Neku! That's what I've always wanted to hear from you! Now that I'm your girlfriend, we can snuggle up on the couch under a warm blanket and make out till we fall asleep in each other's arms!"

Ah… Wouldn't that be nice? It was such a nice thought, in fact, that I was conscious of a small droplet of blood dribbling out of my nose. I guess that was a bit too strong for a romantic situation…

I hurriedly wiped my nose clean before she noticed and after some thought, I said, "Shiki, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met. And I really mean it. I love looking at your face. Actually, I don't just mean the face. Everything about you is beautiful." Wait, wasn't this like a confession of sorts? …Whatever, she probably wouldn't notice, not when her brain was in this state anyway.

She blinked, stunned for a few seconds. Did I say the wrong thing? I hoped not. It shouldn't matter, not that I didn't mean what I said, but… no, she wouldn't take it to heart, would she?

Like I expected, she just gave a girlish giggle and hugged me tighter, plopping her head on my chest again. She didn't take my words seriously, leaving me feeling cheated. But who could blame her?

It turned out, however, that I was somewhat wrong. "Nobody has ever called me beautiful before," she sighed languidly. "I've always been a plain Jane… nobody took notice of me, or cared about me. Hearing you say this makes me so glad."

What was this? Could it be that despite her inebriation, she still managed to retain some of her ability to think clearly? Or it could be like what people often said: that when you're drunk, you tend to unintentionally reveal your deepest secrets and innermost feelings. If she really meant what she said, then I was happy that at the very least, I said the right thing. But I didn't like how nothing was certain. If only I hadn't given her beer by mistake! Then this could have led to better things like going out. As it was, our little double pseudo-confession would forever be a fickle breeze of a memory, existent yet non-existent at the same time.

My chagrin upon this realization dissipated soon enough when Shiki broke my line of thoughts with this: "Hey, wanna make a bet?"

"A bet?"

"Yeah," she continued, delirious, "I'm gonna be here for a while and I'll be bored stiff if there's nothing to do."

It was dangerous to play along with a drunken person. You never know what they might do to you. Although for my case, I was more worried about what I might do to her if I wasn't careful. Nonetheless, I ventured, "Um, care to share?"

"It's simple, really. We stare at each other for as long as possible and whoever loses has to do the winner's bidding."

"So… it's a staring match?"

"You got it, Einstein!"

It wasn't the staring match itself that I had a problem with. It was what might happen to me if I failed. Back in the Reapers' Game she had enough guts to rip my pants off of me in order to fix a loose button. At that time, she was _sober_. What was to stop her from repeating her act, or even doing something much worse, now that she was _drunk? !_

Better play safe. No deal. If the staring match didn't happen, there would be no danger, right?

"Is it okay if I give it a miss?" I said, almost pleading, "I… Well, I'm kinda tired to be honest."

She snickered, her eyes half-closed. "Aww, you spoilsport. It's just for fun… Besides, if you don't participate, I win by default, and you'll have to do what I ask you to do… Hee hee hee…"

The twinkle in her eyes was kind of frightening. I just knew she had some dastardly scheme cooking up inside that pretty little head of hers. And with myself trapped underneath her, I wouldn't be escaping anytime soon. So for now I would have to humour her.

"Fine, fine, just go easy on me…" Okay, no luck with the "no deal" thing. But still, how hard could a staring match be? When I was a kid I had been in one or two before, and I always emerged as the winner, and with my opponent left with a huge mental scar that would remain for days. If I could do it in the past I could do it again now. There was no one who could beat my vicious laser-like gaze. I only hoped that Shiki wouldn't be tortured for life. Can you imagine her screaming, "Those eyes… those eyes! Noooo! Neku, stay away from me!"

…Just a figment of my overactive imagination, I guess…

"Ooh, looks like you're fired up and ready to go," Shiki giggled, "Well then, so am I! Let us begin."

Yeah, whatever. Whatever you do, Shiki, please don't take off my pants again if I lose, or any of my clothing for that matter. But of course, I couldn't afford to lose. My sanity was at stake here! Imagine the things that could happen…

Her eyelids were drooping slightly, but she was able to maintain a surprisingly constant and unwavering stare right into my eyes. Not willing to capitulate, I did the same with my famous glare. I was staring pretty hard while she almost looked like she was going to doze off any minute. But it didn't mean that she was losing.

Then a peculiar thing happened. As I stared into those clear brown orbs, I became increasingly aware of my feelings for her which were clawing their way to the surface. Holding her stare was getting tougher by the second as I looked at her pretty face. I vaguely remembered a scientific experiment where people were told to stare at each other for a full four minutes after sharing intimate details about themselves. The result? Many of them felt affection for their partners, and started going out. Using the same logic implied in this experiment, it wasn't difficult to see why simply looking intently at this girl was enough to fan the flames of romance within me.

Ah… I could just watch her for hours and hours…

We were trapped in time, our gazes unflinching. Not once did she move from her rather obscene position atop me, nor break our line of sight. She made it look so easy. As for me, "Laser-Eye Neku", the sensation I was feeling deep inside me was getting so intense that I couldn't stand it, exacerbated by that come-hither expression of hers and her soothing warm breath on my face. More than anything I just wanted to grab her and do all sorts of things to her. That'd make for a memorable evening. But that wasn't how things should go.

Suddenly, she sat up and heaved a defeated sigh. "I've lost."

"Huh?"

"It's just like I said. I lost. I kinda looked to the side for a bit."

"R-Really? I didn't notice. You were pretty good."

"Oh well," she muttered, scratching her head gracelessly, "The loser has to do the winner's bidding. Them's the rules. It's only fair that I have to do what you want me to do. So… go on. Your wish is my command."

_Your wish is my command? !_ She made it sound like I could get her to do anything… Hmmm… This was a generous offer, but I decided to turn it down, despite my overwhelming urge to pounce on her. "Um, it's alright, Shiki… I don't need you to do anything… Now if you'll excuse me, I should probably sleep n–"

"But… But that's not how the game goes! The loser _has_ to do what the winner asks him or her to do!" She huffed indignantly. "Oh, fine! What a flip-flop you are, Neku… Girls don't like guys like that…"

What? ! Where did that come from? !

"I guess it can't be helped," she continued, still straddling me, "If you can't think of anything… then… then…" Her speech started to slur for a bit before she regained full control of her vocal cords. "…then I've got the perfect punishment… I… I'll strip for you… and… and…"

My voice came out in a series of unintelligible spurts and starts, like a rusty car engine. "You'll WHAT? !"

"I'll just get out of these clothes… 'cause you won, and I lost. Makes sense, right?" As she said it, she was reaching for the collar button of her shirt.

"What the heck? !" This was madness! Was she really _that_ drunk? ! Unconsciously, I cried, "Why? !"

"It's your birthday today, Neku," she mumbled, oblivious to the nonsense she was spouting – my birthday was over two months ago. "It's only appropriate that I change into my birthday suit…" With a seductive giggle she fiddled with the topmost button of her dress shirt. For a few moments, I could only watch, transfixed, as her fingers worked on that button, albeit with some difficulty as her hand-to-eye coordination was muddled by the alcohol in her bloodstream. But when it popped open and the tiniest hint of cleavage peeked out, I galvanized my soggy mind into action.

"Wait, Shiki!" I cried, unable to break free from underneath her weight. "Okay, I get that you lost the match but you don't need to take your clothes off!"

"H-Hey, I gotta play fair…" she protested, struggling with the next button, "What meaning would the rules have if both the winner and loser do as they please?"

"Y-_You're_ doing as you please!"

"Oh, shut up," she grinned, finally prying the second button loose. "Besides, this is kinda fun! Your face looks so cute when you're embarrassed." The front of her shirt was steadily opening up… The gap was just big enough for her snow-white bra to show through. Yowza! Th-That's nice…! ! ! But… that was when I knew I had to take drastic action or I would lose it and then it would be game over for me!

"Shiki!" I cried out, reaching out to forcibly yank her hands away. But I messed up big-time, and my hands missed their target, instead colliding with soft, firm flesh.

Huh… soft, firm flesh? Oh no, don't tell me they were… Don't tell me I was now touching… her boobs? !

She looked stunned. I had stopped on the spot, unable to tear my hands away purely from bewilderment. However, she wasn't perturbed at all. With a small voice, she breathed, "I… I didn't know you're so keen to see me naked. This is a surprise."

Only now did I develop the brains to let go, flailing my arms in a desperate attempt to mean "no, no, you got it all wrong". "That's not it!" I spluttered, panicking too many times tonight. "I just want you to stop stripping!"

"You're a nice guy, Neku," Shiki sighed, "I like you a lot, so I don't really mind…"

"Um…" Spoken in normal context, that would have been the sweetest thing ever. But…

"Hey, I know! I got a great idea!" she grinned. I had the nagging feeling that it would be anything but a great idea. In fact, predicting that was a no-brainer. "Look at that face of yours. It's so red and you're sweating buckets."

No thanks to you, Shiki. You were to blame for it all…

Her bedroom eyes were locked onto me, her mouth set in a mischievous smirk. "So after I finish stripping…you wanna take a bath with me?"

As soon as the meaning of that question registered in my head, I recoiled in shock, pinching my nose to safeguard against a possible nosebleed. "Wh-What? !" I stammered, unable to form coherent words. I scrambled out from beneath her, sitting up in a rough, reclining manner. "This… It… You? I? ! Wait! Wh-Wh-Why? !"

Twiddling her fingers, she replied, "Both of us are awfully sweaty. Look, you're positively dripping… so I thought, why not kill two birds with one stone? It's a brilliant idea."

"Uh, Shiki… Th-Thanks, b-b-but… I think I'll have t-to d-decline…" Ooh… Nosebleed… imminent…

"Whaaaat? But that's no fun!" she pouted, looking disappointed. "I was thinking I could wash your hair, and you could scrub my back." Scrub her back? ! I… I had never seen a naked woman before… and now she was suggesting that we do things like this? As that image flitted into my mind's eye, I quickly reached for a tissue from the tissue box on the coffee table. Good thing, because no sooner had I jammed my nostrils in did blood spurt out in ridiculous amounts.

"You got a nosebleed, ha ha!" she laughed dementedly. "I guess that's only natural!"

"Th-That's not really something to make fun of, Shiki…"

"I wasn't joking," she mumbled, "After you scrub my back, you could soap my legs, sponge my neck clean, and –"

"Sh-Shiki, stop… Seriously, stop!" Soap her legs? Sponge her neck? ! Good Lord, I could feel my life force draining away with the blood that was now gushing out of my nose like a surging river, shooting the tissue out like a projectile, and forming a growing lake on the floor. Ugh… what a gory sight… I'd have to clean up the crime scene later. If looks could kill, then so could words, huh? Yeah… Shiki was definitely guilty of manslaughter. I scrambled for more tissues, practically emptying the entire tissue box. At the rate this was going, however, I would need a couple of corks instead.

I hurriedly rose from the couch. "Shiki… c-could you give me a sec? I… I need to go to the bathroom." The blood wasn't going to stop flowing any time soon and it would be better to let it all out in a sink rather than the living room floor. In two seconds flat I was in the safety of the bathroom.

"This isn't happening," I muttered to myself as I hunched over the sink, gripping the sides to prevent myself from collapsing. This was either the best thing to happen to me, or the worst. So hard to decide which one it was.

I wished she would just go to sleep right now and stay that way until morning… Not because I wanted to mess with her without her knowing, but because I was tired. All I wanted was to have my eight hours of good sleep without fear of being groped or even raped in the middle of the night.

"Heyyy, Neku…" That was Shiki's lazy voice. "Do I look good in white?"

"White?" I saw her reflection in the mirror in front of me. She was leaning against the doorway of the bathroom, and the first thing I noticed about her was that she was indeed wearing something white, but it was not the dress shirt, or her pants, because both were glaringly absent…

Blood spurted in a great fountain onto the mirror, leaving a mess. I swiveled round to face her, immediately crying out, "Shiki! What the hell are you doing naked? !"

"How rude," she muttered, looking dangerous in her blindingly white bra and panties, "I'm not naked, are you dumb? I just don't want to impose upon you anymore so I returned the clothes I borrowed from you." Oh dammit, she had completely lost her mind. Alcohol was Shiki's kryptonite.

"And besides," she continued, stepping inside and – wait, did she just lock the door behind her? Were we alone inside the bathroom? ! The two of us? ! "Besides, I want to take a bath… and you're taking it with me."

Another violent nosebleed. "Y-You know, that's really f-flattering," I stammered, stupidly retreating into a corner as she slunk closer, like a wolf stalking its prey. "B-B-But I don't know if this is a good idea…" She came closer. My legs bumped into the toilet and I found myself plopping on the seat. Luckily the lid was down… for some reason. "I mean, you'll… we'll… both of us will be… n-naked, and… and…" Her body was amazing. Those curves… "and… anyway, you've a-already taken a bath earlier, and… um… and…"

Shiki grabbed me by the collar and launched me into the shower with uncanny strength. "Oh, stop being a coward and let's get wet together!" My back connected with the wall, and it hurt. Then she stepped inside and pulled the shower curtain closed.

"Sh-Shiki!" Oh man, I wasn't ready for this at all. Shiki and I, standing alone together in the shower? I'd have dreams about this, I'd drool about it, and in my crazier flights of fancy, I'd even vow to make this a reality. But now that it was right in my face, now that my dream actually came true, I realized just how unprepared I was. I could be a total Adonis in my make-believe world, leaving The Prince in the dust and looking like a geek, but here in real life I was nothing more than a living tangle of twisted nerves. Quite a huge contrast, huh? Damn… I just knew The Prince would be laughing if he knew about this…

"Hey, c'mon, take 'em off," she grumbled, partially awake, "Who takes a shower with clothes on?" She started clawing at my shirt. Thank goodness her nails were blunt.

I couldn't say anything. I was thinking of the right things to say and do without sounding rude, but there was nothing in my head now that resembled common sense, some examples of which are shown here: "Oh, I'm sorry, but I'm shy and my body looks ugly." "Why take a shower and drench the fire of love?" "Gee, I really need to get to the bathroom! Oh, wait, we _are_ in the bathroom." "I-I'm allergic to water. It happens." "Let's do it another time when I get us some better soaps and shampoos!" "FIRE! FIRE! Put on your clothes quickly and run for your life!" Hmmm, that last one might work… It was worth a shot! Maybe it could… No, that's just silly!

There was really only one thing I could say. "Sorry, I can't."

Now she was getting frustrated. "Y-You coward… Can't you see I'm just trying to show you my feelings? !"

_My feelings?_ "What are you talking about?" Shocked by those words, I completely forgot that she had a can of beer swinging around inside her stomach.

"I ain't doing all of this for nothing, you know! But you're so dumb you can't even notice!"

"Um…"

She used both hands to grab my shirt, shaking me as hard as she could. There was a hint of desperation in her voice, like she was running out of time to do something important. "Neku… I… I love you… I love you so much, I can't stand it! That's what I've been trying to say!"

What? ! She loved me…? This wasn't another one of her drunken rants, was it? I was inclined to brush it off as that. But somehow, I couldn't. The meaning of those words was too strong and potent to be just a joke. No one said they loved you and wrote it off as a joke… That would be in poor taste.

Seeing no reaction from me, it became visible from her face that she had grown substantially irritated. "Neku… You… You…" Her voice was wavering. Was she… crying? Did I do something wrong? But I did nothing… So did it mean that doing nothing _was_ doing something wrong? My head hurt.

"You idiot!" She lunged right at my face, smashing our lips together. At first I didn't understand what she just did to me. Then when I eventually understood in a belated comprehension of the facts, my already spiky hair stood on end, radiating outwards like a sunflower. With orange petals.

Holy cow! Shiki was… She was kissing me! There was no power in my limbs. I wanted to move, to do something, _anything_… but the tremendous sweetness in my mouth permeated throughout my head, flooding my senses in a deluge of emotions never felt before. My muscles felt so weak and numb, like they could fall off my person and I wouldn't notice.

My oxygen was running low. I wanted to break apart, to breathe like a normal person once more, but this was so good. Her poison seeped into my system, making me want more. I didn't want to stop. In fact, I _refused_ to stop. The feeling of our pressed lips was full of risk, excitement, pleasure… Damn, better not go too far with my descriptions. I was starting to sound like the author of an erotic novel…

With my parents out, Shiki and I were left alone in my home. She was doped with alcohol, she had dragged me into the shower, she was almost naked, and she was kissing me full and hard on the lips. Ah… It was perfect. What more could I ask for?

Suddenly, she started to sway and go limp. Her lips lost all their ferocity and pried loose from my mouth. I caught her in time just as she was about to fall over backwards. Her head lolled to one side and her face was beet-red.

"Shiki?" I mumbled after a while, shaking her slightly to try and rouse her. "Hey, Shiki…"

She had succumbed to sleep at last, no doubt because of the alcohol. I was left standing in the shower with an overexposed girl and enough rampaging hormones in my body to grow a beard in two seconds.

The only thing on my mind was… "I could die happy right now…"

XOXOXOXOXO

What a crazy evening. So many things happened. Nice things. Weird things.

Tonight's events had dehydrated me rather badly. While I was gulping down water by the barrelful in the kitchen, Shiki was snoozing peacefully on my bed in my room. I had brought her there. I had even draped my blanket over her, because it was like me to be a gentleman. I guess having a romantic interest could change people in ways unimaginable. The one thing I couldn't do was to help her put her clothes back on. Not only was it like molestation, I was also sure she would wake up and take notice. Whether she would kill me or not was another matter, but I didn't want to take any chances. So I simply hung them on a nearby chair next to her bed and left it at that.

Chaos had subsided. Peace had returned. Armageddon was over.

But the storm inside my heart was still frothing, a typhoon of temptations. I set down my sixth glass of water on the countertop with a bang and rested my head on the refrigerator door, letting out a long sigh.

Shiki kissed me… She actually touched my mouth with her lips…

What did it mean? You only kiss someone when you're in love with that person. Was Shiki in love with me? She admitted herself that she loved me. I kind of already figured that she liked me, but it never crossed my mind that she might also love me.

But was it the truth? Did she mean it?

The kiss was an exhilarating experience, but it left me dazed and confused about where both of us stood. I didn't know if I should take it as a sign to move things forward. The ambiguity was nauseating. There were so many things that I was hoping to do together with her and I even had it all organized in a mental to-do list (well, a lot of it is perverted, but hey, I'm a normal guy):

**Confess to Shiki:** NOPE; she was drunk, so it probably didn't register.  
**Hug her:** DONE; she hugged me, so it's the same thing, right?  
**Kiss her on the cheek or lips:** DONE; it was Shiki who initiated the kiss, though…  
**Smell her natural body scent: **DONE; I practically smelt enough of her since she was so close to me…  
**See her in her underwear:** DONE; I'll never forget the sight for as long as I live…  
**Fondle her chest:** DONE; so fluffy…  
**Take a bath / shower with her:** NOPE; standing in the shower without using it doesn't count…  
**Whisper sweet nothings in her ear:** NOPE; haven't thought of what to say.  
**Whisper dirty things in her ear:** NOPE; already thought of a lot of things to say, I just haven't said them.  
**Ask her out on a date:** NOPE; not yet, though I'm planning to.  
**Do any one of the above things without getting a nosebleed:** DEFINITELY POSITIVELY UNDISPUTEDLY NOPE; for goodness' sake, this is one weird disease I've got…

In the space of one day I had already achieved many of the things that I wanted to do with Shiki before I die. My plan all along was to do them slowly, one by one, when we were officially a couple. But we haven't even properly confessed to each other yet, and now the checklist was half-done. I wasn't really complaining, but I'd have preferred to do those things if we were lovers. It just felt more right and held much more meaning that way. Yes… then stripping each other would be much more romantic…

Um… Uh-oh.

Another nosebleed! Argh! I reached for the nearest tissue and barricaded my nose in.

"**Do any one of the above things without getting a nosebleed:** DEFINITELY POSITIVELY UNDISPUTEDLY NOPE"

Oh shut up, checklist!

Another glassful of water went down my dry throat. Argh…this was killing me.

It had been about half an hour since I had put Shiki in bed. Perhaps it would be best to check up on her to see if everything was alright. With great care I opened my room door and snuck inside, careful not to make any noise.

Much to my relief, she was still sleeping soundly. Looks like the worst (best?) was over… I approached her silent, slumbering form much like how a hyena might sneak up to a sleeping lion in order to steal its horde of leftover meat. The closer I got the more nervous I became. I kept telling myself that she was simply too zonked to wake up, but the fear remained. If the unexpected was to be expected, then I wasn't sure of anything.

It was still hard to believe that Shiki was snoozing in my bed, and half-naked at that. Damn, this was a dream come true… almost. I mean, it'd be much better if it was both of us underneath the covers instead of… I shook my head vigorously. That was too much! Getting into bed together would have to wait till we were older, and most importantly, ready. Wait, which criteria was more important, age or readiness?

Besides, I was happy simply gazing at her while she was asleep. She was like an angel, with her face serene and all traces of the earlier insane temptress completely gone. "She's beautiful," I muttered to myself in a whisper, taking care to keep my voice down.

Without warning, however, as though she could hear me, she stirred in her sleep. I took two steps back but froze before I could retreat any further. Obviously unaware of herself, she mumbled, "Mmm… Too hot…" Then she promptly kicked the blanket off, leaving her most of her underwear-clad body exposed.

In my frozen state, I quickly noticed that one of her bra straps had slipped off her shoulder, and the other one was close to falling off too. My capillaries were close to bursting from all the strain of gallons of blood rushing throughout my body. I swiveled round to face my back against her before I lost it and all I could do next was go "W-Wow! ! !" Softly, of course. While trembling like an idiot.

Oh man! She was so hot! I stole another glance at her over my shoulder. How could anyone see her as plain? …Well, then again, Shiki wouldn't walk around town dressed in just a bra and panties…

The devil inside me slapped me upside the head with an idea. Now that she was fast asleep, what better time was there than now to take a picture of her nearly unclothed self? ! Actually, that wasn't a bad idea at all! But deep inside, I had my doubts. Shiki was my best friend. Even if she wouldn't know about it, taking advantage of her was wrong. Regardless, my right hand suddenly grew a mind of its own and reached inside my pocket for my cell phone. I watched in horror as it opened up the main menu and selected the camera function, then waved it over her body.

Wait a minute… How did this even happen? ! Was my hand being possessed, Evil Dead-style? !

My thumb was inclined to depress the "OK" button on my phone so a picture could be taken. No! Stop it!

My left hand slapped my right out of the way, at the very moment the camera lens winked. The flash was on too, illuminating the room briefly in a white glow, and the soft click it made was abnormally loud. I winced, fearing that Shiki would be roused from her sleep, but a good ten seconds passed without so much as a stir from her. I breathed a sigh of relief… Damn, how many sighs of relief did I have to breathe in one day? This couldn't be good for my health. I glared at my right hand, still stubbornly clutching onto my cell phone. Bad hand, bad hand!

I decided to get out of there before things could get worse. Back in the living room, I immediately threw myself onto the couch, stress and lethargy taking their toll on me. I draped the back of my hand over my forehead. Why must things be so difficult and awkward? If we were a couple, then we could engage in horseplay as often as we liked and it wouldn't seem strange and neither of us would freak out. Only lovers would make out, or do naughty things like feed each other ice-cream or even play around in the shower together (at least that's what I figured).

But Shiki and I were just _friends_. Heck, friends don't even hold hands… And that knowledge was saddening. Sure, I tickled her this evening out of mischief and she didn't mind, but at the end of the day, we were still friends, not lovers.

Suddenly I remembered that my phone had taken a photo. A photo of Shiki in bed… in just her underwear… As uncomfortable as I was, I steeled myself to take a look.

But all that greeted me on the cell phone screen was an indescribable blur. Everything was out of focus. Must have been because I moved my phone away and it was in motion when the photo was taken. All I knew was, I couldn't see Shiki in here at all.

There was a feeling inside me now. But I was so confused that its nature was at best indiscernible.

Was this disappointment? I didn't have a good picture of Shiki. And she was smokin' hot too.

But could it be that this was also… relief? You know how sometimes you're pumped up to do something bad like steal someone's stuff, but eventually get cold feet and pull back? Then you realize at a later time that it would be the wrong thing to do and you feel glad that you didn't go along with your original plan. That may be what I was feeling now.

To be honest, I wasn't sure of myself at all.

Huh? Oh, hey, wait! This whitish streak in the photo here might be her bra! Or… the blanket? Um… the pillow?

Bleah. Whatever. It was a useless photo. I was disgusted at myself for acting like one of those street punks who hit on girls all day long.

I deleted the photo from my cell phone, and vowed not to take another.

What a long night. Well, if there was nothing else to be done, then I should probably hit the sack too. Since Shiki was using my room, I decided to sleep on the couch. The master bedroom had a bed that I could use, but I never felt comfortable with using something that only my parents' would use. I couldn't put my finger on why I felt that way.

The couch wasn't exactly comfortable, but my tiredness was overpowering. In two shakes of a lamb's tail I was flying through the land of dreams.

The night was officially over.

But the morning would be another matter. Oh dear…


	3. Chapter 3

**Heaven Within Hell (Part 3)  
**by BrDPirateMan

The morning sun shone through the window, waking me up as its warm light kissed my face.

The apartment was silent, save for the occasional song of a bird outside. When I looked out, the snowstorm was long gone, all traces of its winter fury vanished from existence. In fact, everything looked relatively normal out on the streets. People rushing to wherever they needed to go, waiting for the bus, and doing various other things.

It felt so peaceful that I almost forgot about the series of torturous events that I was subjected to last night.

For better or worse, I was glad that it was Shiki who was drunk and not me. If it was me, I was sure that, with my muddled head, I would outrage her modesty and do things to her that are better left unsaid…

Looks like Shiki was still asleep… perhaps I should enjoy this quietness while I had the chance, before she woke up and found out that she was sleeping on my bed in just her underwear. That would be quite bad for –

"AAAAAAAGGHHH! ! !"

Talk about sick coincidences. That was Shiki's voice, screaming with raw anger. _Now_ she was up. Right, where was I? Yeah, that would be quite bad for me. And I think she already found out by now.

Despite the bloating fear in my stomach, I rushed over to my room where she was to see if she was okay. The moment I swung the door open, I ate a punch to the face and fell like a beetle on its back.

"Knock before entering!" she roared as I lay on the floor, stunned from the impact of the blow.

"Ow…" Through slightly hazy vision I watched her scramble to slip on her dress shirt in a hurry. She was so mad that she didn't even bother to button up before jumping atop me. Straddling my body, she grabbed me by the shirt and shook me hard.

"What is the meaning of this? !" she shouted, eyes burning red with rage. "Why am I naked? ! Did you take my clothes off while I was asleep? !"

"N-No! You're mistaken!" I yelped, as she shook me again, my head wagging back and forth like a dog's tail. "It was you who took them off by yourself!"

"What? ! Nice try!" She didn't believe me at all. Not surprising as it was obvious that she didn't remember a single thing from last night.

I tried once more to explain and clear my poor name. But a combination of leftover morning sleepiness and a frazzled mind made my explanation less than stellar. "I'm telling the truth! You… I won a staring match with you, and you stripped for me!"

"That's ridiculous! I stripped for you? !" Flecks of spit were spraying out of her mouth. "Where's your proof? ! Huh? _Huh? !_"

Like an idiot, I replied, "Uh… th-the proof that you stripped for me… is… uh… you're the proof."

"What? !"

"Y-You're s-s-still indecent, Sh-Shiki."

She looked down at herself, and that was when she realized that apart from her unbuttoned dress shirt, all she was wearing was her underwear. And that I was looking straight at her barely clothed body. With a nose that was starting to bleed freely once more. Goodness, even the insufficiently-clad Eri was more covered-up than her! A burgundy hue had developed on Shiki's cheeks. Embarrassment was mixed in with rising anger and an urge to kill.

Yup, she was sober now. But I kinda wished she was drunk for a little while longer. That would have given me ample time to think up of a way to cover up for what she did to herself. Failing that, I could always leave the country before things got ugly, so I could be safe and away from the reach of her flesh-rending claws. Hmmm… Fiji seemed like a nice place, what with the ukeleles and coconut juice and a lei around my neck with the warm sun on my face. Wait, was that Hawaii? I wasn't too sure.

Oh well, it was a nice life while it lasted. I guess I'd have to play the Reapers' Game all over again…

Her eye was twitching. "K-K-K-…" And then…

"KYAAAAAAAH! ! !"

She whacked me in the chin with an uppercut that was so strong that it launched me right out from underneath her. My body slid across the linoleum like a torpedo and I smashed into the opposite wall headfirst, leaving a cloud of dust and falling rubble. I was secretly hoping that the hangover she would probably have this morning could soften her up and make her less lethal to me, but I guess I was wrong.

She hurried out of my room, stepping over my limp body (with her shirt still hanging freely open, I noticed) so she could reach the bathroom where her original clothes were being hung to dry. I heard the frantic rustling of fabric from inside and in the blink of an eye she came out fully clothed, heading for the front door.

"Shiki, w-wait!" I cried, getting up on unsteady feet, racing into the living room with my head battered and bleeding. "Please don't misunderstand me! I'm innocent!"

She spat like a spitting cobra, "Huh! And I'm not? !"

"You were drunk, Shiki!" I cried, holding up the beer can that she had drunk from last night. "Honest! This was what you were drinking!"

She eyed it and snorted. "I was drunk? With green tea? ! A likely story!"

My gaze darted to the can that was the cause of all the trouble. Only thing was, it _wasn't_ the can that was the cause of all the trouble. It was _my_ can of green tea, not her can of beer! Oops!

I swiped the real can off of the coffee table to show her, but she had already put on her coat and was preparing to leave. She glanced at me with tears in her venom-coated eyes, growling, "Neku… I… I…

"…I hate you!"

With her scarf in hand, not bothering to wrap it around her neck – so hurried was she to get the heck away from me – she wrenched the front door handle with frightening forcefulness and stormed off in a huff.

Her words echoed in my head. _I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!_ No, this wasn't how things should be… I had to catch up with her! If she went straight to the police and claimed that I had molested her in her sleep, I would probably go to jail and never see her again…

The thought was too much for me to bear.

In record time I slapped on a few outdoor clothes and fled out the door, screaming, "No! Shiki! Waaaaait! ! !"

XOXOXOXOXO

"Wait!" I shouted, chasing after Shiki. "Wait up! WAIT! ! !"

I showed little care for the bystanders who were staring at me with eyes wide open. I was quickly growing red from embarrassment, redder than the reddest apple in history, but I didn't really care. There were worse things in this world than being labeled as a maniac by society… like losing Shiki's trust.

I tried to catch up with her, but she ran so very fast. It was a race against time and fate but I was losing. Was there a cheat code for maximum running speed that worked in real-life? Because I needed it now.

Shiki… We had worked so hard to nurture our friendship. The pain, the laughter… we shared it all. To see it all go out in a puff of smoke would be the worst thing to ever happen to me.

I willed my muscles to double my running speed, but it was still barely enough. She was still terribly far away. To make matters worse, my antics had caught the attention of a pair of policemen who were presumably on patrol duty. They stopped me dead in my tracks and the first thing they asked was, "Son, what's that can you have in your hand? It wouldn't be beer, would it?"

Like a scene from a nightmare, I suddenly realized that I was still holding the beer can in my hand. Oh, brother.

"Heineken? !" exclaimed the first policeman who had imposed the aforementioned question upon me, "You look much too young to be drinking at your age!"

"Son, you're coming with us," said the second policeman sternly, clapping his hand on my arm. His work buddy did the same thing with my other arm. "The fact that you were running and shouting like crazy is another cause of concern for us."

"Wait," I protested, as they started to drag me away to the nearest police box. "Wait, I can explain… It's not what you think it is… Just listen to me! ! !"

XOXOXOXOXO

Being interrogated by two policemen was the least pleasant mishap to happen to me. I had to answer so many questions, all the while enduring their penetrating glares. Looks like "Laser-Eye Neku" found a couple of worthy rivals…

Eventually, after a lot of persuasion and a bit of bluffing on my part, I was let go, but not without a harsh warning. I was lucky that they decided to show me some mercy and not even take me as a first offender. They just kept drilling in my head over and over that I should stay away from alcohol at such a young age, and so on and so forth. I left the police box feeling like I had lost a million yen, or a chunk of my flesh, or… ah, forget it. You get the picture. I felt terrible.

Never mind about them. I seriously thought I was destined to spend the rest of my life in the slammer. But what worried me even more was that Shiki was mad at me.

I had to patch things up with her. Yeah… I had to apologise!

All this trouble from one little can of beer! Dammit…!

My quest to look for the missing Shiki ended as soon as it began, however. Scarcely a few steps were taken before I noticed her standing under a tree not too far away from where I was. She was watching me intently, as though observing an animal in its natural habitat, but even though she knew I saw her, she didn't try to hide or conceal her presence.

This was perfect timing. I jogged over, but the scowl on her face made me wince a little. And when I approached her, she twirled her head to one side, refusing to make eye contact.

"Um, Shiki…" I said carefully, "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"What kind of idiot gets arrested by the police?" she snapped, feeling bitter.

Ouch… She stabbed me where I bled the worst. "It's only because I was holding a beer can in my hand. But anyway, were you here the whole time?"

"Don't get me wrong, Neku," she said, ignoring my question altogether. "It's not like I was worried about you. I was just curious to see what was happening."

Uh-huh… You just keep telling yourself that, Shiki. She came back for me… I guess she still cared about me, even though she hated my guts. But that's the thing; I didn't want her to hate my guts anymore!

I wanted to apologise, to say how sorry and careless and dumb I was, and to say that I still needed her and cared for her. I also wanted to explain everything and clean my slate. And hopefully, if I had said the right words, we could be back to being friends. …Hopefully.

Shiki refused to even set the corners of her eyes at me, opting instead to look sharply away, arms crossed in a show of anger. But I couldn't talk if she was like this.

"Um, I need to talk to you," I said as politely as I could; I was trying to tame a wild animal here. "So could you look at me? Please?" No response. Her head was still stubbornly swiveled to the opposite side.

"Um, Shiki?" I walked around to her left, where she was facing, and she immediately turned right.

"Hey…" When I appeared to her right, she swung to the left again.

No good. Hmmm… I had one idea, though…

"…Mr Mew is a pig."

In a split second her head snapped towards me as she yelled, "HE'S A CAT, YOU IDIOT!"

Whoa, whoa… That got her attention now, but she was glaring daggers at me, steam was rising from her head, and her fangs were bared. I had no idea how frightening she could appear when she was mad, but now I knew. She almost looked like she was ready to burn me to a crisp with her fire breath or grow a pair of horns on her head and gore me to death. Staying around her any longer was a very risky affair and I wished I had at least a metal shield, but horrible mental imagery aside, I still had some explaining to do. And a whole lot more apologizing.

Her eyes were slightly puffy from crying. Poor Shiki. I had failed in my duty as a gentleman and friend. I actually made her cry, and the worst part was, I didn't do a single thing!

"What do you want? !" she demanded.

I chose my words as carefully as a fussy chef might pick out his ingredients. "Shiki, I understand that you're still angry and I doubt you'll ever forgive me, but I'm sorry. I truly am. I want to explain myself."

She bit her lip painfully. "I don't even know what's going on," she said, "All I know is that I woke up in your bed without my clothes on. Neku, tell me, you gotta tell me… What did you do? !"

"I didn't do anything to you! All I wanted to do was to get you some of my dad's green tea. But it's my fault that I accidentally took one of his beers instead. I gave it to you, you got drunk, and… well, the rest is history."

"Are you serious? ! You clumsy oaf!" she spluttered, panicking. "I can't believe you'd make a mistake like that! And what do you mean, 'the rest is history'? ! Neku, did you and I… Did we have s–"

I was sure she was referring to us kissing in the shower last night. Hmmm… Better be smart and break the news to her as gently but truthfully as possible.

"Um, y-yeah… Actually, you made the first move, you know."

Her voice shrunk to a horrified whisper. "I… I did? !"

I scratched the back of my head. She was getting visibly worried, but she still had to know the whole story. "Yeah… Um, you couldn't hold your alcohol, and got seriously tipsy. So it wasn't really your fault or anything. I mean, you weren't exactly conscious of what you were doing."

"But I could do it even while I was drunk?"

My face grew red thinking back to the shocking things that she did. Hers, on the other hand, was drenched of colour, taking on a ghostly pale undertone. "Y-Yes… you were very… uh, forceful? Anyway, it's not like anything bad happened, so that's it, I guess…"

"No!" Shiki looked very alarmed from all the information she was getting but she was also eager to know more. "You have to tell me! What are you saying, that 'it's not like anything bad happened'? ! This kind of thing shouldn't be taken lightly!"

"Sorry, Shiki… You're right. I shouldn't keep information from you. It was our first time after all…"

She gasped and cupped her mouth in her hands in horror. "Our… first time?"

Having to talk about this was severely embarrassing, but Shiki had a right to know. "It was very kinky… It's awfully weird to have to talk about it, but if you insist to know, then I can't argue…"

Despite her discomfort, she pressed on, "H-How did I start to do it? What exactly did I do?"

I was trembling for a good reason, and I could barely look at her. "For starters, you, uh… took off your clothes…" Her breath got caught in her throat when she heard this, but it wouldn't get any easier for her… "I happened to be in the bathroom at that time, and… and… you shoved me into the shower, and…"

"W-We did it in a shower? !" she exclaimed, getting fidgety fast. I wouldn't be too surprised if she started running around in circles screaming.

I wasn't feeling all that great either. I just knew my nose was going to act up sooner or later. "Yes! Uh, I mean, yes. Ahem." Didn't want to sound excited over something like this… "Once we were inside, then we… you know."

"I can't believe it." Shiki was blushing violently. "Did we go that far?"

"It's as far as far gets," I replied, trying to hide my red face in my hand. "I don't know how long it took, but I think it was about two minutes long and then you collapsed and fell asleep. After that, I took you back to my bed and left you be."

"It was so intense that I collapsed? ! Oh my god! ! !" Her face was contorted like badly kneaded pizza dough.

"Uh, no, more like you passed out from the alcohol," I corrected her. "So yeah, th-that's how it went."

No more words were exchanged between us for a good while. We just stared at each other, not knowing what to do. Kissing was such a sensitive topic to talk about. I'd rather go on stage in front of a large audience and cluck like a chicken.

Her entire body was shaking, and her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her blank face betrayed the despair that lay within. Apologies wouldn't be enough to soothe her broken heart, so I had to do something. But before I could utter another word, she exploded, "We… we actually had _sex? !_"

"What? !" I recoiled in shock, quickly noticing that the bystanders nearby who had heard us did the same thing. "K-Keep your voice down, Shiki! And what on earth are you going on about? !"

"Neku!" she seethed, close to crying, "Y-You could have stopped me! Why did you have to do it? ! Now I'm –"

"Stop! Wait! What did you say we did last night? !"

"Ask yourself, Mr Obvious!" she spat, "Both of us had sex, you idiot! How could you take advantage of me, knowing I was drunk? !"

We what? What made her think that? How did she come to that conclusion? There must have been a loss in translation somewhere… I rewound our conversation in my head, recalling important points. Was there something that I said that was a double entendre? Let's see…

She had said, _"…And what do you mean, 'the rest is history'? ! Neku, did you and I… Did we have s–_"

That's when I said, "_Um, y-yeah… Actually, you made the first move, you know._"

Oh… _that_ must have started it all. The word starting with "s" that she wanted to say. After that, the whole conversation just went astray. No wonder she was acting extra fidgety. And here I thought we were talking about the kiss!

"Shiki! Listen to me!"

"No! I wouldn't listen!" she sniffled, "There's nothing else to be said! But I expect you to take full responsibility for what you just did!"

"We didn't have sex, for goodness' sake!" I huffed, eager to dump my explanation on her all in one go, "All we did was kiss in the shower! And if it satisfies your curiosity, you still had your underwear on, I was still fully clothed, and we never took a bath together. Nothing of the sort you mentioned just now happened! Nothing!"

Her tears stopped flowing. Another awkward silence overcame us, and at the end of it, all she could say was a puzzled-sounding "Eh?"

"I'm serious, Shiki! We didn't have… We didn't do it at all! Sure, the alcohol intoxicated you, but we never did it! It's the truth!"

Like a wide-eyed owl, she blinked once. Twice. "R-Really? Th-Then a-am I still a vir–"

"Yes, you are! And please don't say things like that in public!" _Geez, please don't embarrass me any further, Shiki!_

"Shiki, I could never bring myself to do something like that to you!" I continued, reiterating my innocence. "The whole night last night, you may have been in a state of helplessness, unable to fend for yourself, but I never once did anything to you. I didn't even touch a single hair on your head!"

"…Y-You didn't?" she asked in a very small voice.

"I'd never do anything to harm you, or make you feel bad. C'mon, man, you're… you're the person whom I care about the most!" That was a bit over-the-top, but at least it was straight from my heart. And that's what counted! Heh, this would make me look good in her eyes too. It was a double win!

The problem seemed resolved, but she still looked worried. "So you gave me beer by mistake, and in my drunken state, I did lots of strange things to you…"

"Um, that sounds about right, but you weren't all that crazy, to be honest." Which was a total lie. Because she _was_ completely crazy. But how could I tell her that?

"I guess both of us are to blame for what happened, huh?" she sighed. Her demonic anger was mercifully subsiding and she began to transform back into a normal human being again. "I'm… I'm sorry, Neku… I was careless with myself, and I even jumped to conclusions and hit you…"

"No, at the end of the day, it's my fault to begin with," I said, "Mistaking beer for tea is just… sad. I'm awfully sorry."

"Well, it wasn't exactly pleasant to know that I got a personality transplant last night, but for now I'm just glad that nothing… permanently harmful happened between us."

"Uh… yeah, that's right. Permanent." If I had been less careful, we might have… I shuddered to think of the possibilities. According to a cynical parent, kids nowadays are getting braver in dealing with romance. In her own words, "one small peck on the cheek is all it'll take to have grandchildren."

"So, uh, Shiki," I gulped, "Can we still be friends?"

"I'm happy that you're still someone whom I can trust," she said, "Any boy would have done something to me by now, but by the looks of it, you didn't. In fact, it was _I_ who did something to _you_." She frowned, still mortified at the reality of everything. "But… if you don't mind, I… I really want to stay friends with you."

"Hey," I smiled good-naturedly. "It's all fine. Now how about we forget about everything that's happened and go grab a ramen? You haven't had your breakfast, right?"

As though in response to my question, I heard a growl coming from the direction of Shiki's stomach. It was disturbingly audible.

"Urk!" she blurted, "I guess I really am hungry…"

"By the way," I said, "how's your… um, headache?"

"Headache?" Suddenly, she winced, pain searing through her head. "Ow!" Looks like her hangover was still an unresolved issue…

"You idiot, Neku!" she grumbled, "Out of all the drinks in your fridge you had to give me beer!"

"W-Well, I did say I'm sorry…"

The worst was over. Shiki and I were back on talking terms, and nothing could quite say how relieved I was. I made a note in my head to send my thanks to the stars. As we were heading towards Ramen Don, she spoke up again, slowly to cushion the pain in her head.

"Sorry again, Neku… and thanks."

"Thanks?" My face was a picture of puzzlement. "For what?"

"Well…" she looked down at her feet, blushing slightly. "You said that everything about me is beautiful. Nobody has ever called me beautiful before."

That sounded familiar. Where had I heard this?

Whoa, wait a minute, I knew! Yesterday, she said…

"_Nobody has ever called me beautiful before. I've always been a plain Jane… nobody took notice of me, or cared about me. Hearing you say this makes me so glad."_

So she didn't go completely amnesiac after the effect of the alcohol wore off, huh? She remembered this part! So did my confession count? …Yeah, it definitely did!

"**Confess to Shiki:** DONE; she heard it, she remembered it, and she liked it! Today's a freakin' festival! Whooo!"

That's one more thing off of that mental checklist. Yes!

XOXOXOXOXO

A couple of days passed and my parents were still away on their business trip.

This year's winter happened to be particularly heavy on snow. As I leaned against the window with nothing to do, I found myself trying to count the snowflakes that flitted by. I lost count at around fifty-two and gave up. I guess I really was bored, huh… If only Shiki was here so we could talk and while away the hours.

Oh right, I hadn't told you, but we're together now. We're an official couple. Sure, we had a less than amazing start to our relationship, but it took off well enough anyway. And here we are, enveloped in love and bliss. In time to come we would go on dates and all that stuff; exactly what we would do, it was too early to tell. But gosh darn it, life is so beautiful.

The doorbell rang and I had a strange feeling. Mum and Dad wouldn't be back so soon, so could it be… Shiki? Again? Don't tell me she got caught in the snow another time…

What was it about the laws of the universe that worked in such weird ways? When I opened the door, there she was, standing before me with damp clothes.

"Hi, Neku…" she giggled, embarrassed.

"Shiki, you really have to stop building snowmen all at the wrong times," I chuckled, letting her in. "I'm assuming you're going to need a bath."

"Ah, yes, please," she said, scratching the back of her head shyly, "Sorry to ask favours from you again."

Not knowing what to say next, I just flashed her a small smile and led her to the bathroom where I turned on the heater. My thoughts turned to the events of that crazy day. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't shake off the image of her turning into a drunken seductress. The memory was only two days old and still fresh. How could I forget the sight of her in that cute underwear of hers? If I could just think like a normal person for even five minutes, this world would be a better place for me to live in.

As though she could sense my discomfort, Shiki nudged me in the arm. "Hey, Neku. You still here? Are you caught up in your little dream world again?"

I lied, "Ah, sorry, I was just trying to remember the name of a song that's stuck in my head right now. Don't worry about it, though."

She said nothing, fixing me with a quizzical look.

"Okay, it's all yours," I said, having taken some spare clothes from my closet for her to wear. I was about to return to the living room and wait for her to finish washing up, when she grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back. Apparently there was something she had to say.

I turned to her. "Need anything else, Shiki? I gave you your clothes and towel already, right?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, her voice strangely meek. "But there's just a little thing that's been on my mind, Neku."

"What's that?" I cocked my head slightly to one side, in a display of curiosity.

"I hate to dredge things up when I really shouldn't. Let bygones be bygones, right?"

"Is this about two days ago?"

"Well…" She looked away, colour filling her cheeks. "Y-Yes, but I'm not about to nitpick the little things that went wrong that day, although what I want to say is related…"

I didn't want to have to talk about this anymore if I could help it. But I let her talk. "Go on…"

"It's just… um…"

She glanced at me with a look on her face that was both adorably demure and devilishly coquettish at the same time. With an innocuous smile, hands wringing together nervously, and the greatest blush in the world, she said…

"S-Still wanna take a bath with me?"

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. "Wh-Wh-What? !"

"You _did_ tell me that I lost that staring match, right?" She smiled sweetly.

"Shiki!" My whole body was paralysed and trembling like a dry leaf. I hadn't gotten her drunk again, had I? No, that wasn't possible. I had not given her anything to drink yet. So why was she saying things like this? ! Was she actually _willing_ to bathe with me…? ! What the heck? !

She was taken aback somewhat by my outburst. "Wh-What's… wrong? I thought to make it up to you f-for what I did to you that day, and… and… y-you probably like stuff like this, a-a-and –"

"Shiki, this… this is a bit too soon!" I blurted, the words coming out all warped and warbled because of my quivering throat. I was _this_ close to spraying blood out of my nose. "Look, I'm glad that you're my friend, and I'm glad you feel the same way about me, but… l-let's not do this now. It's… I… I don't want to hurt your feelings, and cause any more misunderstandings… And… and…"

Suddenly she lurched forward and pressed herself against me in a tight hug. Her clothes were soaked but she didn't look like she cared that my shirt that she was gripping in vice-like fingers was getting damp.

Bewilderment overcame me. "Sh-Shiki?"

"Thank goodness," she sighed, in a tone of relief, as she nuzzled into my chest. "I was afraid that you might have second thoughts about me."

"What?"

"I figured that you might hate me or think I'm some crazy girl. I know I was drunk and I wasn't myself, and you'd probably understand that, but… I had to make sure."

So that's why she was like this. She must have been really troubled that I might think of her as a pervert. Those eyes of hers, on hindsight, were the eyes of someone who was worried for the worst. I wrapped my arms around her lithe frame and held her close. Trying to sound cool, I said cryptically, "You're going to catch a cold, Shiki. But I still love you."

"Um… I'll take that as a good sign," she giggled.

Without warning, and surprising even myself, I swooped in for a very quick peck on her lips. She gasped.

"What happened two days ago may have been the craziest thing," I said, "but I don't want it to impact our relationship. I love you and I want to stay with you. And I hope that someday, we can look back and just laugh about it as a fond memory of our teenage years. Like you said, can we let bygones be bygones?"

"Y-Yeah…" She had no idea how to react, still dazed from our half-second long kiss.

I could feel her pushing me away gently so I broke the hug short. "Th-Thank you, Neku… That's… sweet of you. I'll go wash up now," she said, retreating inside the bathroom. One romantic crisis averted. And she called me "sweet"! Ah… the waves of emotion that were splashing inside my heart…

Then she paused in her tracks for a second before turning back. "S-Sure you don't wanna join me? I… I don't mind…" Her face was a nice shade of maroon.

I hurriedly slapped my hand over my nostrils to prevent possible spillage. "N-No, it's perfectly alright!"

The ghost of a smile leaked from the corner of her mouth. "Maybe next time."

With that, she disappeared behind the bathroom door. As soon as it clicked shut, blood immediately gushed out of my nose. I had been holding it in the whole time Shiki was talking to me and now it was useless to stop the crimson tide as it leaked in rivulets through my fingers.

"She's so cute…" I mumbled to myself, "…but I've had enough of anemia for a lifetime." _Maybe next time?_ Sharing a bath with my dream girl… scrubbing her back, soaping her legs, and sponging her neck? Boy, I couldn't wait for that day to happen, but at the same time the very prospect was frightening… My hands were shivering uncontrollably at the mere thought.

I've got a girlfriend at last… and I'm scared.

…

**Author's note:**

**Just a short ramble. I'm a big fan of manga, and while scouring the net, I found a manga character whom I think would look very much like Shiki Misaki. In "The Secret Recipe" by artist Morinaga Milk, the bespectacled, bob-haired president of the Cooking Club looks like the perfect image. She's so cute! Be warned, though: "The Secret Recipe" is a yuri manga. Nothing M-rated in it, but if you don't like girl-love, then do stay away.**

**I can't state the URL here for fear that it might go against the rules of our beloved fanfiction website (it probably wouldn't but it can't hurt to be safe), but the manga itself is easily found with a quick Google search (there are several sites from which you can access "The Secret Recipe").**


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